Water heater



De@ Z7? E92 7o R, L.. SHRHNER WATER HEATER Filed mmh 6, 192@ 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R. L. SHRINER WATER HEATER Filed March 6, 1526 @fvg De@ 27, 19.27a

Patented Dec. `2.7, 1927.

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ROBERT L. SERIEEE, 0F WEEHAWKEN, NEW JERSEY, A SSJIGNGR T0 HUDSON HEAT- ING SYSTEMS, INC., 0F NEW 'YORK, N..Y., A CRPGILTIQN 0F `NEW' YORK.

Warne. HEATER,

i Application led March 6, 1926. Serial No. ll.

`invention comprises a vertical, cylindrical` water container having an electrically operated heater locatedv in a smaller cylinder placed in the lower central portion of' the water container and surrounded by a cylinder of slightly greater` diameter, connected to the water space at the bottom and'top of the water container, and means for deliver.-

l ing currents ot water from the bottom of said container'to the. narrow annular Space between the heater proper and the last mentioned cylinder in a tangential direction, whereby said currentsof water will pass in a helical path upwardly through said annular space in relatively thin films which can be ellectively vheated therein and then delivered to the upper portion of the water container. The best form et apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying two sheets oit drawings in which:

Fig. l is a vertical, central section or the mainv portion of the heater with connections and legs broken away,

Fig, 2 is ahorizontal section on line 2 2 of l,

hier. 3 is a horizontal, partial section on line 3 3 et Fig. Tl showing portions ot the water passagesn f v ltiig. l is a partial vertical section, and partial elevation of two of the heater elements, with parts breiten away, their supports, connectiee wires.

Fig, 5 iS a detail, vertical section on line 5 5 ont Il,

is a horizontal section on line 6 6 et Fig. 5, and

l* t is a iront elevation of the complete heater on a smaller scale with water connections breiten away.

llrroughout the drawings like reference 4characters indicate like parte. 'l represents the outer cylindrical shell oi the water con(- tainer usually made ot steel and covered by any convenient form ot non-heat-conduct-ing lagging 2. lV'ithin this 'shell l, the main Water voontainn dome plate 5., a so covered by the noncon ducting lagging,'a'nd the base-plate 4r. which is centrally perforated for receiving the heating element and its associated elements. The apparatus as a whole is supported by the space is llormed by top (lll legs 3, .3. 6 is the water intake, preferably consisting of a tube extending,- downward through the dome plate 5 nearly to the baseplate l, and 7 is a `water outleapreferably located in the dome plate 5 and consisting of a tube terminating in the upper portion of 8 is an inner the water containing space. cylindrical shell, of considerably less diameter than the main shell, provided at its upper end with a vertical outlet tube 8, which extends nearly'to the top of the main water containing space, and at its lower end with an outwardly extending flange 8, which latter forms a watertight joint with the-baseplate 4r by means of the stifening ring 9 and packing ring or ,gasket 9a, clamped together between said base-plate and said flan e. 2a is a non-heat-conducting lagging on t 1e exterior of shell 8, the outer surface of which lagging is formed or waterproof material. l0 is a water. distributor preferably :torined oit a ring provided with a plurality of passageways 10, 10a, discharg' ing through the inner surface of the ring tangentially thereof and connected by gooseneclrs M, le, with the lower portion oli the main water space by passing through openings in the base-plate e Preferably, the intake ends of these goose-necks are located at a slightly higher level than the lower end of the main water intake tube 6.

ll is a heater shell oit metal of slightly less diameter than the shell 8 and concentric therewith, closed at the top and having an A outwardly extending; flange lla-t its bottom which is perforated to permit the passage ot the shorter ends of the goose-necks le, le

and which ange makes a watertight Aioint l with distributor l() by means of'paclring rings il" on either side thereof; all oie the above described lianges and paclnngs being Aforced 'together by assembly bolts 13,' i3 condently terms an, annular base chamber l5 connected with an upper annular chamber i6 'of considerably less width, the latter being located inside of the heater shell ll it is evident that the water in the annular upper chamber 16 'will be rapidly heated and rise therein to the mixing and heating chamber 31 above the heater, formed in the upper ortion ot the inner shell 8 by reason ci the act that the heater shell 1l is considerably shorter than said shell 8, and that said heated water will thence pass through the tube 8l to the upper portion or' the main water containing space in the heater, the cooler water in the lower portion of said space being forced downward through the gooseneclrs Slet into the tangential passages l from which will he discharged `in whirling currents to pass again upwardly through the annular chamber lo in helical paths. This whirling movement oi" the Water in the heating zone results in several advantages. It prolonge the time and path ot exposure of the jets of Water to the heater shell il for any given height ot such shelh It more eiiectiyely mixes the incoming cold Water with the partially heated water in nular chamber l around shell ll, and the newly heated water coming iron chamber 16 with that remaining in ruining chamber .31.,- lt tends to prevent the deposition of sediment in the annular chamber le.

The preferred forni ot heater for inseru tion inthe heater shell il is shown in detail in Figs. 4, and 6 and consists of plurality ont tubes l?, termed oi sorse retractory non-conducting substance such a coin position oi asbestos, set in a lower spider 18 and upper spider i9 also el refractory nonconducting material, on which tubes are .A 'i s 0 wound coils 23 of a suitable high resistance wire or ribbon covered and held properly spaced apart by exterior bodies oi rel-fractory cement 24, 2d. These coils are connect ed to ther and to terminals on the lower side ot spider i8, from which terminals Wires 25 extend yto a terminal plug 26 located on the under side of the disc 20, which disc tits into bottom ring 12 and supports the spider 18 by .means of the bolt 22 passing through the two and through the spacing sleeve 2l0 The above described construction evidenti constitutes an electrical heating unit whic can be inserted in the heater shell 1l and held there by the clips 2G screwed to the under side of the ring l2 and projecting under the disc 20.

As shown, the main shell l1 extends 4some distance below base-plate 4, thereby forming the bottom plate '4* and accessi 1e through the door 32 shown in Fig. 7. In this air space is located the terminals of the supply circuit 27, any convenient form of automatic ircuit controller located in the casing 29, and an aquastat 30, one member of which extends upward into the main Water con-- taining space, as at u.

28 is a tube embedded in the lagging 2 and forming a conduit tor the Wires of 'the supply circuit 27.

The preterred method of Winding coils 23 upon tubes 17 is lshown in detail in Figs. l, 5 6 where one end of a coil 23 is shown as passing through a pair of holes 33, in a tube i7 and anchored to a binding 1post 3ft on spider i8. The conductor is usually formed of a thin ribbon of nichrome alloy and is nent laid in a longitudinally7 extend ing groove v in the exterior ofthe tube 17, and led therein to the upper endot said tube, being also laced through several other sets oi similar holes, as 33 and 33". Groove 35 is then filled with cement which covers the portion of ribbon therein, and the rcmainder oi the ribbon is wound spirally around the tube with its freeend anchored to secnd binding post 8 on spider i8. The exterior coatin 24e of cement is then applied and the whole aired slowly as by first passing the maximum amount ci? current through ribbon, and alterward placing the whole structure in an oven. Tins gives the ribbon a-cliance to expand necessary amount under the degree of heat to which it Win ce subjected in use and thereby form a spiral recess in the surrounding, still yielding mass of cement before the latter is subsequently hardened by the i'inal baking. As a result the ribbon in the completed heating element rests in a spiral conduit having a dimension radially oit the coil sutlicient to accommodate all subsequent expansions and contractions of the coil and so avoiding possibility oi such expansions cracking the cement envelope during operation of the heater. ln the saine Way the initial longitudinal expansion of 'that portion of the ribbon lying in longitudinal oove 35, frees it from adhesion to the over ying cement, and, after that cement becomes rigid from the completed baking, further expansion of the ribbon is taken up by tree play of the portions thereof forming the loops passing through holes 33, 33a, etco into the tube interior.

The mode of operation of my invention is as `followsz The inlet tube 6 being connected to a source of Water supply, and the out-let tube 7 to the hot water distributing pipe system, the main water containing space is iilled and the electrical current turned on from the supply circuit 27. Thereupon the resistance coils 23 become intensely heated and this heat is radiated, and conveyed by the moving currents of air in the heater shell 11, to and through said shell,

lli)

5. A structure such as described in claim.

4 in which the said conneetin pipes have their inlet ends some distance ti tom of said water container, and above the waterinlet thereto.

6. A combination such as defined in claim 4 in which said cylindrical heater comprises an exterior, watertight shell and a coil of wire of high electrical resistance mounted on an insulating supporting frame inserted in said watertight shell.

7. A combination such as defined in'claim 4 in which said vertical cylinder extends a substantial distance above the upper end of said heater, whereby a water heating and mixing chamberof considerable capacity is formed in the upper end of said cylinder.

8. In a water heater the combination of 'a vertical, cylindrical water containing shell wardly extending flangeiat the bottom, which ove the botp flange is seated on said ring, a second ring seated against the exterior of saidv flange and provided with internal water passages opening into its interior, a cylindrical heater located in said inner cylindrical shell and having an outwardly extending flange on its lower end seated against the lower face of said second rin means for clampin all of said flanges an rings to said .base-p ate, and a connection from the lower part of the interiory of said Water containing shell to the water passages in said second ring.

9. A combination such as defined in claim 8 in which said heater comprises a watertight shell, 'and coils of high electrical resistance. conductors wound on vtubes of nonconducting, refractory material mounted in spideisvof similar material and adapted to be inserted in, or removed from, said shell ,as a unit.

10. ln a water heater the combination of a main water-containing shell, an elec tric heater extending into saidl shell, a nonheat-conducting covering surrounding and completely enclosing said shell and heater and all immediate Water and electrical connections thereto, a conduit embedded in said covering extending along one side of said shell and adapted to` contain the supply wires for said heater and electric supply wires located in said conduit.

ROBERT L. SHRINER 

